The 76ers had a clear type of player in mind, but they never moved to get him.
Devin Carter is now headed to the Celtics, giving Boston another guard option and leaving Philadelphia to watch a player who fit one of its most obvious needs land with a division rival. The 76ers’ biggest gripe with their roster has been the lack of perimeter stoppers, especially in the backcourt, and Carter checked that box as a depth piece.
There was a catch, of course. Because of their cap situation, Philadelphia would have needed to move one player currently under contract to create space for Carter. That was the price tag, and the front office never even got into the race for him.
Carter arrives in Boston after a short and uneven run with the Kings. The 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was used sparingly in Sacramento, averaging just 14.8 minutes across two seasons. Injuries were part of the story, but the bigger issue was how little runway he got compared with veteran players.
Last season, he gave a glimpse of what he can be when he is on the floor. In a little more than 18 minutes per game, Carter posted 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The shot was the weak spot: he hit 41.4 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from three.
Even with those shooting numbers, there is plenty to like about his profile. Carter brings defensive bite, energy, guard rebounding and some secondary playmaking. That kind of backcourt insurance is exactly what Philadelphia could have used off the bench.
Instead, Boston gets the chance to see whether Carter can grow into a real piece. The Celtics have a strong track record of developing players with that kind of skill set, and Derrick White arrived with a largely similar profile. If Carter makes the opening-night roster, he could end up being a meaningful part of their rotation.
For the 76ers, the wait continues. They still cannot fully round out the roster, so they are stuck working with what they already have in place. And while that group is far from depleted, the one thing they still lack is the kind of guard defender Carter could have been.
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Justin Edwards is among the names now floating in that conversation, along with some of the big men fighting for rotation minutes and Anfernee Simons. For a club that entered the year expecting to push forward, the possibility of acting like a seller at the trade deadline is an uncomfortable one, but it is also the sort of debate contenders sometimes have to confront when a crowded roster starts forcing hard decisions. [Read more 🡒]